<div>Hey, thank you so much for making it to this fundraiser! I’m Sofia Akel, founder of the Free Books Campaign, a non-profit community campaign that gets books by authors of colour into the hands of readers, who have barriers to access. We operate across the UK and Ireland and every book we provide is completely free of charge to those who can’t afford or access them.
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<div>It was here back in 2020, that I set up our first fundraiser for the campaign, which began to help tackle the widening gap in education and access to literature. Since 2012 over 800 libraries have been permanently closed due to austerity - a number which is likely higher since the pandemic.
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<div>Since then, our campaign, and I say our because none of this would have been possible without all of you - has grown into an incredible community of people across the UK &amp; Ireland. In 2021 we officially became a Community Interest Company, meaning that all our resources go back into funding our campaign, with the sole aim of having a positive impact on our communities.
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<div>In just four years we’ve donated over 8,000 brand new books to our service users, partnered with Marcus Rashford’s Bookclub, have built an online community of over 7.5k people and started our annual entirely-free literature festival. This July, we’re holding our biggest entirely-free literature festival to date.
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<div>Each year our festival travels to different areas of London where there are high rates of deprivation - this year we’re hosting our Free Books Festival at BSix Sixth Form College in Hackney. An area in which:
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<li>43% of children are living in poverty - worse than the average London Borough
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<li>16.7% of people earning below the living wage in 2023
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<li>High rates of premature death compared to other London Boroughs
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<div>The funds we raised back in 2020, have carried us throughout the years. However, as our community grows, so does our demand to support more people. We do this through connecting readers with books, creating career and networking opportunities for local people, working together with local organisations and residents’ associations to understand the needs of local communities and more.
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<div>In 2021, we started our Free Books Festival expecting only a couple of hundred attendees. By the end of the weekend, we had welcomed over 1,300 people through our doors - showing a huge need for entirely-free, community-centered events that put people at the heart of it all. This year, we expect that number to double, if not triple, but we urgently need your help to make this happen!
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<div>Held over three days - Friday 19th - Sunday 21st July - the Free Books Campaign festival programme will focus on storytelling in all of its forms - from visual arts to movement, literature to anime, gaming to music and more, our aim is to challenge the traditional format of literature festivals to engage a wider audience and create more readers from all walks of life. We are working with a number of grassroots organisations, bookclubs, agencies, brands and publishers who are all volunteering to ensure that we can create a vivid, exciting, engaging and accessible programme for everyone who walks through our doors - whether or not you consider yourself a reader, there’s a home for you here.
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<div>The funds will be spent on covering essential festival costs that help us remove financial barriers to access for our attendees. This includes:
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<li>Our entirely-free bookstore - where you can browse and take home a brand new book at no cost
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<li>Complimentary food &amp; refreshments for all attendees, volunteers and guests over 3-days
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<li>Marketing &amp; PR materials to ensure we reach as many local people as possible
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<li>Free daycare/creche for parents who can't afford childcare
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<li>Travel expenses for those who need support
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<li>Event resources and operational costs
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<li>BSL Sign-Language interpreters / tech for accessibility
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<div>And much more…
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<div>Over four years I've been using my savings and income from my freelance work to fund my work here at the Free Books Campaign - having never paid myself. I share this to say that this has been a real labour of love and something I continue to be passionate and excited about.
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<div>Although I may be one person, i've always felt the power of community through my work which has filled me with joy, but now I need to ask for help and I'm calling on you for support! Please consider making a financial contribution to our fundraiser if you are able to do so. We understand how challenging things are today, so if you cannot contribute financially, I’d ask that you please also share this widely with your friends, family, networks, and any companies or brands who you think might be interested in supporting us. Every donation counts and every penny we raise goes directly into making our festival a reality and allows the campaign to continue operating.
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<div>Thank you so much for your time and continuous support - what started as a fundraiser back in 2020, has turned into a beautiful community and that’s due to people like you.
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<div>I hope to see you there in July!
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<div>With love,
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<div>Sofia Akel
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<div>Founder &amp; Director Free Books Campaign
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<div>*<a href="https://tfl.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/documents/Hackney_PdKZ9bt.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://tfl.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/documents/Hackney_PdKZ9bt.pdf" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://tfl.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/documents/Hackney_PdKZ9bt.pdf</a></a>
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Help us to fund our entirely-free annual books festival!

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